| Abstract
| - This paper reports a surface process technology thatsimultaneously enables the formation of a hydrogeland its fixation on the surface of gold substrates. The technologyutilizes two different chemical reactionsof thiols: oxidation-induced disulfide bond formation andchemisorption on gold. Thiol-derivatized poly(vinyl alcohol)s (SH-PVAs), which were synthesized by radicalcopolymerization of vinylbenzyl N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate and vinyl acetate, followed by alkalinehydrolysis, were coated on gold surfacesand then air-dried at room temperature. X-ray photoelectronspectroscopy (XPS) analyses and watercontact angle measurements of a gold surface before and after treatmentwith SH-PVA provided evidencethat a hydrogel was formed and fixed on the gold surface. Atomicforce microscopic (AFM) observationsshowed that the gel was tightly fixed even after thorough washing withhot water. Surfaces with regionalhydrogelation, which were prepared on a gold-deposited micropatternedpolymer, were visualized by cellularpatterning under a phase-contrast microscope and by fluorescein-labeledprotein immobilization under afluorescent microscope.
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